Cereal Marshmallow Bars

I’m all about bright hits of color lately. The latest dessert to get shot up with my current color obsession are these cereal marshmallow bars. It’s a simple riff on the classic rice krispie treat, but these are so much more fun–full of brightness and made sparkly with some colored sugar.

And what can make this an even better dessert than all the color bedazzling? More bedazzling. Yep more, or more accurately, with just a few swaps out, you can make this a double duty dessert that can be served on St. Patrick’s Day and Easter.

To make it a St. Patrick’s Day treat, double the glaze and spread it on top for a full layer rather than drizzle and then finish it with a heavy dusting of gold sprinkle. For Easter, swap out the gold sprinkle for some multi-colored pastel confetti, or to give it some added Easter sweetness, sprinkle the top with some crushed Robin Egg candy.

However you choose to skin these cereal marshmallow bars, do it with some color by using Fruit Loops or Trix cereal. And of course if you want to get crazy, throw some freeze dried fruit in there for an added layer of flavor. My recommendation, try adding in freeze dried strawberries and then swap out the milk in the glaze for some lemon juice—see how the variation in this simple recipe can be tweaked a million times over?

That being said, if you have a creative play on these cereal bars, come back and share with the rest of us!

Cereal Marshmallow Bars

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoon butter

5 cups (9 oz) mini marshmallows

6 cups (6.5 oz) Fruit Loops

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons colored coarse sugar or sprinkles

Instructions

Preparation: Spray a 9x9 pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Stir and melt butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in Fruit Loops and mix until fully combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, using your hands press to flatten. Set aside for 1-2 hours to set.

In a separate bowl, combine powdered sugar with milk and stir to combine. Using a spoon, drizzle glaze on top of cereal bars and dust with colored sugar or sprinkles.